91传媒

Waiting on the DAWN

Judy Cornish, 鈥�99, was a divorced mother of three when a friend talked her into registering for community college in Coos Bay.

鈥淚 had just gotten out of an abusive relationship where I was told how stupid I was for 16 years,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I was convinced I was going to flunk out.鈥�

She quickly found out that wasn鈥檛 true. She completed her associate degree in Coos Bay, and then moved to La Grande and finished her bachelor鈥檚 at 91传媒, receiving four major awards at graduation.

Cornish was accepted at more than 30 law schools and received scholarships as well. But unwilling to uproot her son as he was entering high school, she stayed in La Grande as a psychosocial skills trainer.

After a year, though, she faced a use-it-or-lose-it situation with her scholarship, and enrolled at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland.

鈥淔or the first year at least, I felt so out of place 鈥� a 40-year-old single mom whose previous education had given her little if any preparation for the study of American law,鈥� Cornish said.

She persevered and embarked on a law career that included stints at the Oregon Supreme Court, a family practice firm in Portland, and finally her own practice. But she began to realize the field wasn鈥檛 right for her.

鈥淚 had eight years in and I tried to make it work, but it wasn鈥檛 a good personality fit,鈥� she said. 鈥淏y nature, I鈥檓 more of a coach than an advocate.鈥�

So she closed all of her cases and moved to Moscow, Idaho, where she felt an affinity with the mountains and the weather. It wasn鈥檛 long before her offer to look after a neighbor鈥檚 elderly parent turned into a rewarding career, one that grew from her experience in law school.

Cornish founded , a method of caring for people with dementia by targeting the emotional distress that accompanies cognitive decline.

鈥淭he DAWN method came from my experience of going into law school so abruptly, where my intuitive thinking skills were of no value,鈥� she said. 鈥淟aw is so focused on the use of rational thought. [My clients] were experiencing the opposite: losing their rational thinking skills and being forced to function with only intuition.鈥�

Cornish鈥檚 DAWN Method has resonated with caregivers, who laud it for helping improve clients鈥� quality of life and ability to remain in familiar surroundings. Her 2017 book, is one of Amazon鈥檚 top-selling publications on the subject, and she delivered a .

The road to success hasn鈥檛 been easy or direct for Cornish, but she never expected any different.

鈥淟ife is convoluted,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e should expect difficulties and detours, and just keep on carrying on.鈥�

This article first appeared in Community Vitality, Spring 2018, a publication of The Ford Family Foundation, . It is reprinted with permission.